1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to containers for the safe storage and transportation of test tubes. More particularly, the invention is an elongated plastic cylinder with a hinged lid designed for safe retention of a single test tube and to allow easy retrieval of the test tube.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Test tubes containing biological samples such as blood and urine specimens often have to be transported significant distances from a collection site to where the sample is analyzed. Many of these test tubes are depositories for samples requiring storing for future use as evidence in criminal court cases. At the present time, single test tubes containing samples are vulnerable to breakage as very little in the way of protective containment devices for single test tubes is available. Although multiple test tube holders and containers are provided for lab work and shipping, these multiple containers are not adequately configured for protecting the base of a test tube and preventing the rubbery cap from in-container contact during removal. Multiple test tube containers are too bulky for field work and not well suited for mailing or transporting single test tubes. Also for single test tubes, a device useful for physical transportation or for mailing a contained test tube must not only protect the test tube from breakage but must also provide against leakage of the specimen to prevent possible contamination of other specimens. With presently used procedures, protection of the person transporting the specimens from exposure to potentially infectious substances is of increasing concern. Medical personnel and especially law enforcement personnel are often required to deliver specimens in test tubes housed only in paper or plastic envelopes. These envelopes do not prevent crushing the test tube, and leakage of the specimen often occurs once the test tube is broken and glass has puncture the envelope.
As will be shown in the following specification, the device according to the immediate invention overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages and provides other useful services for the storage and transportation of individual test tubes.